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Patience takes on the name what it refers to. Different names may be applied to patience in different situations. Ibn Qayyim (rahimahullah) has beautifully mentioned few examples here:

Patience is called chastity if it is associated with restraining a sexual desire.

Patience is called self-restraint if it refers to controlling one’s stomach.

When referring to refraining from disclosing what is better to keep secret, it is called keeping one’s secret.

If it consists of being content with what is sufficient for one’s needs, it is called asceticism.

If it consists of being content of what someone has of worldly life, it is called self-content.

If it refers to controlling one’s nerves when angry, it is called forbearance.

When it refers to detesting from haste, it is called gracefulness.

If it refers to not fleeing or running away, it is called courage.

If it refers to refraining from taking revenge, it is called forgiveness.

If it refers to not being stingy, it is called generosity.

When it refers to abstaining from food and drink for a specific period, it is called fasting.

If it consists of refraining from being helpless and lazy, it is called discretion.

If it refers to refraining from loading other people’s burden it is called chivalry.

In conclusion, patience has various names according to the situation it applies to, but all of them are included under patience. This indicates that all tenants and rites of Islam are associated with patience.

[Taken from “The way to patience and gratitude”, by Ibn Qayyim, pg. 21-22]

“Beautiful patience is the type that consists of no worry or overt sadness.”

[Tafseer Ibn Katheer (2/619)]

The thing that contradicts patience is the actions of wailing women, as well as women who slap their own faces, tear their clothes, strike their heads, along with screaming, wailing, and calling with calls of pre-Islaamic ignorance. As for a person telling a doctor about their sickness in order to be cured, then there is no harm in that. Also, the wailing or moaning when one is sick, the purpose of which is to relieve some pain, is not a problem.

Sufyaan Ath-Thawri, [may Allaah have mercy upon him], said:

“There are three aspects of patience: To not speak about your pain, or calamity, and to not praise yourself.”

[Tafseer At-Tabari (7/160)]

However, it means to not inform about your sickness or pain in the form of showing discontent with that sickness or pain.

As for talking about it with a good cause, such as asking about how to have your sickness cured, or how to get out of your disaster, and so forth, then this is not out of discontent, and does not take a person out of the realm of being patient.

Also, not everyone who claims to be patient is actually patient; rather, many people show apparent patience in the wake of calamities, but in the depths of their hearts, they have been afflicted with extreme sorrow.

Sa`eed ibn Jubair, may Allaah be pleased with him, said:

“Patience is for the slave to realize the calamity that they have been struck with, and to expect reward and good recompense with Allaah due to it. Some people are sorrowful while showing that they are strong, and only showing that they are patient.”

So, the one who has lost a son, and the people find them strong and patient, might just as well be impatient in their heart by losing trust in Allaah the Exalted or showing discontentment with what He has done, and with His predestination.

When we see much evil being perpetrated around us, and when we see the menacing strength of those who oppose the truth, we should not lose hope, thinking that the betterment of this Nation is beyond our grasp. Ibn al-Qayyim[rahimahullah] expressed the same meaning in verse form:

The truth is aided but tested as well, so do not fall into a state of wonder, for this is the Sunnah [way] of the Most Merciful.

In this World, the struggle between the truth and falsehood is is as inevitable as it is necessary:

And thus have We made for every prophet an enemy from among the criminals. But sufficient is your Lord as a guide and a helper. [25:31]

The evildoers want to misguide people by blinding them from the truth. They want to subjugate people, effectively silencing them, but Allah says:

But sufficient is your Lord as a guide and a helper. [25:31]

It is not permissible for us to lose hope. We must be patient and wait, for in the end, success and victory are for the righteous believers who fear Allah. There are those who want to transform the righteous thinking of the youth into vile and wicked thinking, and to realize this aim, they strive tirelessly, working not only to instill doubts into the minds of the youth, but also to hinder them from the truth they are upon. But they, as well as every person who strives against the truth, will be afflicted with defeat and ruin, , for Allah aids His religion and His Book.

It is necessary for a da’i to be very positive regarding the success and continuation of his da’wah. A positive attitude acts as a strong impetus for one to continue making Da’wah; for one to continue striving and keeping his efforts alive. Conversely, hopelessness causes failure and delay in one’s Da’wah.

In this regard, one does well to contemplate the positive attitude of the Prophet [sallallahu alaihi wasallam] and his farsightedness, even on the most difficult day for him in calling his people; the day he [sallallahu alaihi wasallam] returned from Al-Taif, after having called them to the way of Allah. They had rejected his message, and they had urged the foolish ones among them to inflict harm upon the Prophet [sallallahu alaihi wasallam]. When the Prophet [sallallahu alaihi wasallam] reached Qarnuth-Tha’alib, Jibreel [alaihis Salam] called him, saying:

I lifted my head towards the sky to see a cloud shading me unexpectedly. I looked up and saw within it Jibreel. He called me saying: “Allah has heard what your people have been saying to you, and how they have disputed you. Allah has sent the Angel of the Mountains to you so that you may order him to do whatever you wish to these people.”

The Angel of the Mountains called and greeted me, and then said: “O Muhammad! Order what you wish. If you like, I will cause the two mountains to fall upon them.”

I said: “No, for I hope that Allah will bring forth from their progeny people who will worship Allah Alone, and none besides Him.”

I went out to the shore as a patrolman and our patrol at the time was in ‘Areesh Misr. When I arrived at the shore, I came upon an open area and there was tent on it.

In the tent was a man who had no hands and legs and he was hard of hearing and sight. None of his limbs were of benefit to him but his tongue,

and was saying: O Allah, grant me (the ability) to praise you a praise through which I can sufficiently thank You for the favours You have bestowed upon me and by which You have preferred me over many whom You have created a great preference.

Al-Awza’i said: ‘Abdulla said: By Allah, I will certainly go to this man and I shall certainly ask him about this speech. An understanding, or knowledge or inspiration which was inspired to him?

So I approached the man and greeted him and said to him:

I heard you and you were saying: O Allah, grant me (the ability) to praise you a praise through which I can sufficiently thank You for the favours You have bestowed upon me and by which You have preferred me over many whom You have created a great preference.; so what favour from the favours of Allah upon you are you praising Him for? And in what way did He prefer you over others a great preference that you need to thank Him for it?

He said: Don’t you see what my Lord has done? By Allah, if He sent the sky to me as a fire which burned me, or ordered the mountains to crush me, or the oceans to drown me, or the earth to swallow me up; it would only cause me to be more grateful to my Lord for the favour of this tongue He bestowed upon me.

However, O slave of Allah: As long as you have come to me, I have a need of you! Perhaps you see me and the state I am in, I cannot harm nor benefit myself. I had a young son who used to come to me at the time of prayer and help me do my ablution, and when I became hungry he’d feed me, and I became thirsty he’d provide me with a drink but I have missed him for the last three days, so please look for him on my behalf may Allah have mercy on you.

I said: By Allah, no creature could fulfill the need of another which is greater in reward with Allah than a need similar to yours. So I set out looking for the young boy, and I hadn’t gone far before I came by a sand hill, and behold I found the boy who had been preyed upon by a beast which ate his flesh! I did istirjaa’ (saying Indeed we belong to Allah and to Him is our return) and said: How am I going to be able to face this man with a gentle face?!

As I was heading towards him, the thikr (words of remembrance) of Ayyub the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) came to my heart.

So when I reached him I greeted him and he responded and said: Are you not my companion?

I said yes!

He said: What did you do about my need?

I said: Are you more honourable in the site of Allah or was Ayyub the Prophet?

He said, of course Ayyub the Prophet.

I said: Do you know what His Lord did with him? Did He not test him in his wealth, family and children?

He said, yes.

I said: How did He find him?

He said: He found him patient, grateful and praising.

I said: He was not pleased with that for him until his relatives and loved ones deserted him?

He said, yes.

I said: How did His Lord find him?

He said: He found him patient, grateful and praising; make it short may Allah have mercy on you.

I said to him: The young boy you sent me in search of, I found him in a sand hill having been preyed upon by a beast which had eaten his flesh. May Allah increase for you tour reward and may He inspire you with patience.

The tested man said:

Praise be to Allah Who did not create from my progeny creations who would disobey Him and He would then punish them by the fire. He then did istirjaa’ and breathed a sigh and died.

I said: Indeed to Allah we belong and to Him is our return. What a huge calamity before me; a man like this, if I were to leave him the beasts would eat him, and if I stay I won’t be able to harm nor benefit. So I covered him in a cloak which was over him and sat at his head crying.

As I was sitting, four men came upon me and said: O slave of Allah, what is your situation and what is your story. So I told them my story and his. They said to me: uncover his face for us, perhaps we know him. I uncovered his face and the men fell upon him kissing his eyes and his hands alternately and saying:

May our father be sacrificed; for how long these eyes were lowered from the prohibitions of Allah. May our father be sacrificed; for how long this body prostrated before Allah while the people were sleeping.

I said: Who is this, may Allah have mercy on you?

They said, this is Abu Qilabah al-Jurmi, the companion of ibn ‘Abbas. He had tremendous love for Allah and the Prophet of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him)!!

So we washed him and shrouded him with clothing we had with us and prayed over him and buried him. The men left and I went back to my station. When night fell, I put my head down and saw him in a dream, in a garden from the gardens of Paradise wearing two garments from the garments of Paradise while reciting the revelation (which means): “Peace be upon you for what you patiently endured. And excellent is the final home.” (13:24).

I said: Aren’t you my companion? He said, yes. I said: How did you receive this?!

He said:

Verily, with Allah are levels that cannot be attained except with patience at times of trial and gratitude at times of prosperity along with fear of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, in private and in public.

Thanking Allah for his blessing is more beloved to me than doing Sabr at the time of hardship.

While his brother, Yazeed bin Abdullah rahimahullah used to say:

O Allah! Whatever of these two is better for me, grant that.

And this follows a beautiful incident about the sayings of two brother.

Amroo bin Sukn said:

Once I was with Sufyan bin Uyaynah when a man from Baghdad stood and asked him- O Abu Muhammed! Which of these two statements you like: the one of Mutarif (rahimahullah) who says, “Thanking Allah for his blessing is more beloved to me than doing Sabr at the time of hardship” or his brother’s Yazeed bin Abdullah (rahimahullah) who says’ “O Allah! I like for myself what You have liked for me”?

Sufyan bin Uyaynah (rahimahullah) remained silent for a while and then said: I like the saying of Mutarif (rahimahullah).

That man asked why it is so when after all Yazeed bin Abdullah (rahimahullah) only liked for himself what Allah has liked for him!

Sufyan bin Uyaynah said- I read the Quran and suddenly the condition of Sulayman (alaihis salam) came into my mind with all the blessings Allah has provided him. Allah said in Glorious Quran about Sulayman (alaihissalam): “(How excellent a servant! Verily, he was ever oft-returning in repentance (to Us)!) “[Surah Sa’ad verse 30].

And then Ayub (Alaihis salam) came into my mind and his life was surrounded with hardship yet Allah said about him the same what He said about Sulayman (alaihissalam). Allah said in Glorious Quran:” (How excellent a servant! Verily, he was ever oft-returning in repentance (to Us)!)” [Surah Sa’ad verse 44].

So, both the conditions are same and therefore I gave preference to Shukr (thanksgiving) over Sabr (patience) and hence I like the saying of Mutarif (rahimahullah) that “Thanking Allah for his blessing is more beloved to me than doing Sabr at the time of hardship.”

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Umar Ibn Al-Khattab said:

"If a man comes out of his house carrying a burden of sins like the mountains of Tihamah, then when he hears some knowledge he fears Allah and repents, he will go back home with no sins on him.
So do not forsake the gatherings of the scholars."
[Miftah Dar as-Sa’adah, 1/122; Fara’id al-Kalam, p. 135.]

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